


Writers Retreat

by Anonymous_Writer2311



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Slow Burn, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan-Mills Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:42:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Writer2311/pseuds/Anonymous_Writer2311
Summary: AU (ish) With a pain-in-the-ass publisher breathing down her neck and no motivation to fulfill her promise of a sequel to her bestselling fantasy novel, renounced author Regina Mills heads to Storybrooke Maine, hoping that the quiet small town might open her mind and free the words trapped in her head. But Storybrooke isn’t as boring as she originally thought. Swiftly she’s brought into a world that she never could have imagined, and the line between fantasy and the real world starts to blur. Slow burn SwanQueen. Past SwanFire (non-toxic, co-parenting)
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills & Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Writers Retreat

**Author's Note:**

> Something new, this idea has been floating around in my head for a few weeks now. Let me know if I should continue :)

_ “Are you sure this is the right decision, Xalvador? Leaving this here for someone to stumble across, it’s careless!” Kip’s whispers disappeared into the crackle of the murky forest, the worrisome tones of his voice mixing with the almost silent pitter-patter of the nearby critters scurrying away. This kind of secrecy was foreign to Kip, he was a humble businessman, a man who – up until this point – turned away from the dangers of the Kingdom. He was not the kind of man to have such a huge level of responsibility weighing heavy on his already aged bones.  _

__

_ “Not just anyone, my friend.” Xalvador’s voice settled his surroundings, the constant squelching of the forest’s bedding and the pitter patter of small paws seemed to soften, even if only for a short moment.  _

__

_ “You don’t mean-” _

__

_ “Yes. This will act as a passage, one that will be used to ensure the safety of our world.”  _

__

_ Kip slowly began to scratch at the balding patch on the top of his head. “Is this goodbye, my friend?” His voice cracked.  _

__

_ “I’m afraid so. I have one last quest to complete before I can move on and join my family. Unfortunately, my quest starts in a land far away from home.” The Knight shot his companion a reassuring smile. “You are now the protector of the passage, so guard it with your life, as I would.”  _

__

_ With a shaky hand Kip retrieved the Kingdom’s Light from his pocket, the black and gold stone glistening in the Kingdom’s moonlight for the last time. “Dare I ask again? Is this truly the only way?”  _

__

_ Xalvador laughed before plucking the Kingdom’s Light from Kip’s hand. With one final glance in Kip’s direction, Xalvador lifted the Kingdom’s Light to the midnight sky.  _

_ “Good luck my friend…and farewell.”  _

__

_ The Knight squeezed the stone, causing a cascade of light to emerge and canopy over the small corner of the forest.  _

__

_ Kip watched in horror as his oldest friend vanished and once again the forest fell silent. Falling to his knees Kip dug through the wet leaves where his friend had stood moments before, searching for the Kingdom’s Light. When nothing but dirt and dying leaves could be found, a small wave of relief poured over Kip. This moment was short lived, however, as Kip’s eyes began to gloss over and the realisation of what was to come truly struck him. He didn’t know where his friend had gone, only that Xalvador’s life would be the first of many lost to the war that was to come.  _

_ *** _

Regina smiled brightly from her seat, her latest novel in hand and glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. The modest group listened on in anticipation, her words already ingrained into their minds. Regina loved this part. Seeing in person the effect her words had. Each reading or meetup bringing a sense of pride to the successful author.

As the reading came to an end, Regina could feel a familiar set of eyes burning into the back of her neck. But she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of acknowledging his existence. Instead, she happily opened up to questions, even though she knew that the question she’d constantly dread would creep up.  _ ‘What’s next?’ _ and  _ ‘When do we get more?’ _ . The unknowing of these questions always left a sour taste in the brunette’s mouth. Not because she had no intention of leaving the world she’d created behind,  _ no. Definitely not that _ , what caused this upset was something more terrifying. Regina was blocked. Creativity. Motivationally. Imaginatively. You name it. And that was truly irritating to the author. She’d spent years creating her own world, only to be abandoned at the gates, and shunned by her creations. But she wasn’t about to admit defeat. She’d just smile her most convincing smile and assure her loyal readers that more was on the way, even though this was a promise she didn’t know she could ever fulfill. 

***

When all the questions were asked and answered, the pictures had all been taken and shared, and copies of her book had been signed, Regina gathered up her things and tirelessly made her way to the exit, completely read to fall face-first into her bed and bury herself under the covers for the night. 

“You’ve gotta stop doing that,” August warned in a hushed whisper as he met Regina on her way out of the bookstore. 

“Signing books? Reading in public?” Regina questioned mindlessly as she buttoned up her coat. She knew where he was going but annoying her publisher’s assistant had become one of her favorite things to do as of late. 

“Promising a sequel!” He shook his head at the cheeky smile plastered on Regina’s face as he stepped in front of her, blocking her access to the door. 

“I fully intend on making good on that promise.” The brunette shot back assertively, as she reached past the tall man and yanked the door open, effectively pushing August from her path. 

“It’s been almost two years, Regina. No plot, no new pages. Nothing.” He shouted as he jogged to keep up with her fast pace, “Don’t you think it’s time to move on?” 

“No. I don’t.” Regina snapped as she came to halt. Her heart was ringing in her ears. She knew this day would come eventually, but she’d hoped that maybe she’d have something,  _ anything _ , to use as bargaining chips in her favor. She panicked, she could tell from the stern sneer on August’s face that this wasn’t their usual bickering, this was it for her and she needed to stall somehow. “I’ve actually been working on new pages, I’ve almost completed the first chapter of the highly anticipated sequel if you must know, Mr. Booth.” She stated simply, her face flushed as she turned on her heel and continued on her way. 

“You have?” He asked skeptically as he matched her pace, his eyes fixed on her as they walked. Nodding meekly, Regina met his gaze momentarily, trying her best to match his air of seriousness. “Brilliant. How soon can you get them to me?”

“Soon. I just need to finetune a few little things. You know how us writers are.”

“That’s an understatement,” August muttered under his breath, as he reached out to stop Regina’s marching. “Mr. Locksley has been very patient with you, Regina. Just remember that.” He warned, his features lightening up as a smile crept onto his lips. “Shall we say, this time next week? Coffee and pages?”

“I’m afraid that won’t work for me,” Regina mumbled, her mind racing. She couldn’t see herself having a basic storyline in a week, let alone a full chapter. She needed an out and quick, and then as if by magic a cluster of tourists breezed past, their suitcases jumping over the raised pavements.  _ That’s it!  _ “I’m going out of town, it’s part of my process, you see. Clears the mind of all this noise.”

“Aha. And when will you be back, Miss Mills?” 

“A month...give or take.” She shrugged, her lips turning up into a smug smile as she batted her eyelashes at the taller man. 

“Fine. Four weeks it is.” August tutted, with a shake of his head, before leaning in closer and mumbling, “Don’t fuck this up, Regina. You’re too good of a writer, to be kicked to the curb.” And with that, a new promise was set in stone, a promise that Regina couldn’t put off for very long.

***

Regina sat at her desk, large wine glass in hand as she scrolled through the endless pages of Airbnb’s properties. She had no intention of leaving town, but her own fear and anxiety of being caught in her web of lies forced her to take the plunge. She wasn’t sure what she’d return with if she’d return with anything at all. But this was her last chance, and she was going to do everything in her power to make something happen. Filtering the searches, she figured that another city would be pointless, and she wasn’t in the mood to fly any real distance, limiting her search results from hundreds to three. A small one-bed garden house off of an estate in the Hamptons.  _ Unlikely, more like a shed with no heat and a weak internet connection. _ A loft apartment over the top of Santa Fe’s oldest bar.  _ A smelly, damp, and cramped attic, nope! _ A modest two-bed home located in the quiet Storybrooke, Maine.  _ Storybrooke? You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve come up with better shit than that, on a bad day. But I suppose... _ Regina quickly delved into a simple Google search, of this  _ ‘Storybrooke’ _ , and from what she saw – deep green forests, dinky shop fronts, a beautiful marina that looks out on the breath-taking ocean – she was impressed.  _ Maybe, just maybe...this could be the solution. _

“Storybrooke, it is...”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> If you want to help support my writing you can buy an exhausted writer a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AnonWriter2312


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